


Inked

by KylosSpacePrincess



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Artists, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Awkward Dates, Awkward Kylo Ren, Co-workers, Dadam, Daddy Kink, Drawing, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Hate to Love, Ice Cream, Light Angst, M/M, Making Out, Nicknames, Phone Calls & Telephones, Praise Kink, Size Difference, Size Kink, Sleepy Cuddles, Slow Burn, Tea, The Writing Den, i had to put it in, i really want ice cream now, im sorry, leia is a mood, leia wants grandkids, rose is still the best, rose is the best friend we all need, the dadam is too strong in me, the kink is real
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2018-10-13
Packaged: 2019-06-10 14:33:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15293595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KylosSpacePrincess/pseuds/KylosSpacePrincess
Summary: Rey Jackson is a comic book artist who works for Kyber Publishing. She spends her time sketching out comics in pencil and then sending them off to someone who will color and ink them. Kylo Ren is that someone. The two have never met, although they simply despise each other. Rey hates how Kylo sometimes colors the drawings opposite to how she imagines them, and Kylo hates how messy her sketches are and how he has to decipher which lines are meant to be there.





	1. Chapter 1

00000000

 

Rey hummed along to whatever song was playing on the radio as she sketched. Her pencil made lazy strokes across her paper, as the side of her hand smudged the marks she already made. This character's name was Alex, and the more comics Rey drew with her in them, the more she became one of her favorites. Even though she was responsible for the rough sketches, she loved being one of the artists responsible for making comics for Kyber Publishing. No matter how many times she told herself she had no say in how the final product looked,  she could never help it and always imagined what they'd look like colored in. Her job was to design the characters and their landscapes, nothing more. Alex, Rey decided as she drew giant, curly hair for the girl, would have deep black hair and lovely tan skin. Rey hoped that just this once, maybe, that Kylo Ren would share her creative vision. Kylo Ren, oh how she wanted to put a face to that name she'd heard so often. He was he artist that did the line work and coloring of Rey's sketches after she sent them to him. He did lovely work, he just never seemed to capture what Rey was going for in the beginning. Sometimes it would be small things like the grass in a frame being not quite as _green_ as she imagined. Other times, it would be something major like the color of a  character's outfit. However, as they both worked from their home studios across town from each other, she had never met him and gotten a chance to voice these complaints. It was infuriating, really, to never have your creative vision carried out. Why should he get all the power? He gets to decide in the end how everything looks, not her. So why do they need her anyway? Rey looked down at her paper, realizing she had stopped drawing quite some time before. She took a deep breath, trying to regain her focus that was stolen by that damn Kylo Ren. She finished up her lines and crosshatched some areas that she wanted Ren to shade darker than others. Satisfied with her work, she compiled her sketches into a folder and jogged out of her apartment and down the stairs to stick it in the mailbox, hoping Kylo would do this one right for a change. 

 

00000000

 

What the hell was this? It was a mess that’s what is was. Lines, lines everywhere. And smudges. Could she not just pick up her hand? Ugh.

Kylo reached for his favorite black lining pen and a large eraser. He was going to make sense of this mess. He started by lining the areas where he had a _somewhat_ good impression of what lines were meant to be there and which ones just didn’t get erased properly or something. After that, came his least favorite part, guessing which lines to go over with pen and which to erase in the places where he genuinely had no idea which was which. He did his best, and when he was done there was just one thing left to do, color it. This character, Alex, had giant curly hair and in this particular picture she was wearing skinny jeans with holes in the knees, tall boots, and a tee shirt with some sort of jacket over the top. The jacket had a random criss-cross pattern happening in one corner but it didn’t cover the entire thing. It kind of looked like the pattern of flannel. Okay, so a flannel jacket. Did this Rey not really have the patience to draw the pattern across the whole thing? Of course not, now he would have to do it. Kylo huffed his annoyance and set to work trying to replicate Rey’s messy flannel pattern over the entire jacket. He only broke the lead in his pencil twice, which for him was an accomplishment. He hated pencils. They were so fragile and they made such rough lines. They also had this laziness attached to them in his head. What was the point of doing anything if you can just erase it when you tire of it? Kylo Ren was, above all, a man who believed that everything you did should have a purpose, and if it turns out shitty you can always make it into something better, using the line you already drew. This was why he liked pens. They make dark, smooth markings and every line he draws with them has a certain permanence and importance that he liked.

He began to color the girl’s hair, choosing a nice red/orange color to compliment the pale skin he gave her. Feeling adventurous, Kylo even dotted a few freckles across the girl’s face. Satisfied, he moved on to her outfit. He made the tee a simple gray, the jeans a dark blue, and the boots black. Last, he colored the flannel with green and blue. Kylo added his neat signature next to Rey’s scribbled excuse for one and carefully slid the paper into an envelope and sent it to his boss. As he walked back up his driveway, he realized how proud he was of this one, he really was.

 

00000000

_You're Invited!_

_Join us at Kyber Publishing for our first ever character unveiling party!_

_What: A cocktail party with food and drinks provided_

_When: This Saturday_

_Where: The Solo residence_

Well, this was new. An unveiling party. For a character. Not even a new comic, just the character. Just, Alex. Was she really that good? Did Kylo finally do her sketch justice? Rey was beyond excited. She loved Alex, and it was nice to know that her boss did too.

Let’s see, food and drinks provided, sounds good. This saturday, also good. The Solo residence? Like her boss, _the_ Leia Organa’s house? Rey practically bounced in her chair with excitement. Of course she was bringing her best friend Rose, but what was she going to wear? She only had two days to figure it out. _Great notice,_ Rey thought.

 

00000000

 

Ha. Guess he did an _especially_ good job on this one. But, Saturday? At his mother’s house? Kylo had his doubts about going. It’s not like he had a friend to bring anyway. Plus, he really hated parties. Kylo got up from his kitchen table and gathered his trash pile from going through his mail, placing the invitation on top. He dumped the pile in the trash, only to turn around and realize he left an envelope on the table. Annoyed, Kylo reached for it and turned it over in his hand, reading his mother’s messy writing scrawled across the front. It was the envelope that the invitation came in, and it was going right in the trash with it. That is, until he noticed that there was something else in it. It was a note, covered in the same messy scribbles as the envelope.

_Ben,_

_I know parties aren’t really your thing, but it would really be nice if you could come. This party is for you and your accomplishment with this character, plus it would be nice to see you again after all this time._

_Love,_

_Mom_

Kylo groaned in frustration and ran his hand through his hair. She had a point, the party _was_ for his hard work. And, he supposed he could bring his neighbor, Hux, if only so that he didn’t look like a complete idiot, showing up alone. In all honesty, he was only going because he knew that if he didn’t, he’d never hear the end of it from his mother during their monthly phone calls. So, Kylo gathered up his courage and went next door to ask Hux if he could come, dreading Saturday more and more by the second.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to @Erulisse17 for the moodboard and thank you all for reading!  
> <3 <3


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the support!  
> In this chapter we will see Kylo and Rey and the character unveiling party... and they'll see each other there too :)  
> <3 <3

00000000

 

As Rey and Rose hopped out of their Uber, Rey felt a sudden pang of nervousness shoot through her. She must have made some face, because Rose was immediately reassuring her that it was going to be a fun party. The thing was, Rey wasn’t nervous about the party. She was nervous about meeting her boss, Leia Organa for the first time. However,  Rose reminded her that this was for _her_ character. That made Rey feel better, and Rey hooked her arm though Rose’s and they walked up the front steps together.

As soon as they stepped inside they were greeted by extremely loud music. Rey gave Rose a concerned look before the smaller girl lead her to the bar.

“This party is open bar right?” Rose asked, turning back to Rey who nodded. Rose promptly ordered them each a martini with a little umbrella in it.

“The umbrella’s really not necessary, is it?” Rey asked, swirling her drink around in her hand.

“Why the hell not? It’s not like you’re paying for it,” Rey couldn’t help but agree as she took a sip of her drink. As soon as her lips hit the glass, she looked up to meet the eye of a tall man in all black, leaning against the wall opposite her. He watched her intently as she took her sip, and Rey’s legs suddenly felt wobbly. She should have been frightened by the way he was looking her up and down, but she didn’t. He obviously appreciated the little black dress Rose had selected for her, showing off her small cleavage and long legs. Rey felt the back of her neck and chest heat under his gaze, but she instead focused on taking in every detail of him.

He was at least 6’2”, with broad shoulders and plush lips. His large nose and angular jaw reminded her of a Greek or Roman god. She wondered if his broad form looked like it was chiseled out of marble too, under his shirt. His thick, black hair hung to his shoulders and framed his face with wavy layers. He ran a fucking _giant_ hand through it and god, if that didn’t just _do_ something to her. He was, by far, the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. Something about how dark and mysterious he was became intoxicating to her.

Everything around Rey disappeared, the people, the lights, she could no longer even hear the music. All of her senses were simply screaming _him, him, him._

“Rey,” She vaguely heard Rose calling her name, but Rey was too lost in the man’s dark eyes to pay much notice. “Rey!” She flinched and broke her stare with the man as Rose hit her on the arm. “Stop making eyes at Mr. Creep over there and take a look. Isn’t that your boss?” Snapped out of her trance, Rey’s eyes followed Rose’s pointing finger to a short woman with kind eyes who’s gray hair was intricately piled atop her head.

“I think so,” Rey replied, standing on her toes to get a better look over all of the people.

“Come on, let’s go say hi!” Rose said, dragging Rey by the hand through the crowd.

 

00000000

 

Kylo took a long drink from his glass of whiskey, trying to sooth his scattered brain. He had just made eye contact with the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, and in that moment it was like they were the only two people in the whole room. The sensation left him frazzled to say the least, and he was trying to calm himself down before approaching her. He knew he could look intimidating, and she was one of few that didn’t shy away from his gaze. He needed to talk to her... as soon as she was done talking to his mother. He had already had his conversation with her, and it was more than enough to tie him over until he saw her again, which would probably be Christmas if she insisted that he came _again._ And judging by their earlier conversation, that would be likely.

She wished he’d cut his hair, she wished he’d settle down with someone, saying repeatedly that she’d _really like some grandkids before she dies!_ She wished he’d call her more often, she wished he’d visit more often, she wished, she wished, she wished. Nevermind the fact that he was 29 years old and could live his own life. He sighed, knowing she meant well. And he probably _should_ see her more often. Plus, he wasn’t opposed to finding someone to be with, which brought his thoughts right back to that girl. He scanned the room for her, finding her with ease. Her and her friend her talking to Hux, he realized with disgust. He couldn’t hear their conversation, but he could tell that redhead weasel was flirting with her, he was being painfully obvious. The friend disappeared somewhere, leaving the girl and Hux alone. Hux immediately closed the distance between them and began touching her arm, her shoulder, the side of her face. She immediately became stiff, panic overtaking her perfect features. Rage boiled it’s way through Kylo. How _dare_ he make her uncomfortable like that. _How dare he touch her._ Kylo knew Hux was an asshole, he just didn’t know that he was that big of one. He reached them in a matter of seconds, his long legs covering the distance easily. He slid an arm around her waist, catching both her attention and Hux’s.

“There you are, _Honey,_ ” Kylo practically snarled at Hux, “I was just looking for you.” Realization dawned in Rey’s eyes as she caught on. _Smart girl._

“Oh, yeah! We should probably get back to our friends,”  Kylo promptly lead her away, looking over his shoulder to give Hux one last look of disgust. He removed his arm when they were safely around the corner, stepping away from her.

“Thanks a lot, that guy was...gross,” She said, tucking a stray hair away behind her ear. _She’s British,_ Kylo realised. Now that they were in closer proximity, he noticed the freckles that coated her nose and bare shoulders.

“It’s no problem,” He replied, catching her gaze that was until then plastered to the floor. He could get lost in her eyes for hours.

“No, really. You didn’t have to do that,” She stepped closer to him then, and Kylo’s breath caught in his throat.

“Didn’t I?” He managed to get out, his eyes now captivated by her mouth.

“You’re a flirt, you know that?” She seemed to get even closer, which Kylo didn’t even think was possible. All he knew for sure was, the woman was like a drug to him, and the more seconds she spent near him the more time with her he needed.

 

00000000

 

All Rey could look at was his mouth. His full, delicious looking lips were so intriguing, and it took all of her willpower not to smash them against her own. She had no idea where this confidence was coming from, probably whatever was in that martini, but she placed a hand on his chest. A thrill shot through her at how small her hand looked, and how damn _solid_ his chest was beneath it. He leaned his head in closer to hers, and Rey was bursting with anticipation. This tall, dark, mysterious man that had just saved her was about to kiss her. He stopped with their mouths centimeters apart. She could smell the liquor in his breath and his cologne.

The combination of the two was too much and she surged forward, capturing his full lips with her own. His tongue prodded at her lips, and she eagerly let him in, a small moan escaping her lips as their tongues danced. Her hands got tangled in his hair, trying to pull him closer. Her body felt like it was on fire, and all she could think about was how she needed _more._

“Rey? Rey!” She practically jumped from the man while turning to face Rose. “Rey, they’re going to do the unveiling soon, you kind of need to be present for that.” Rose gave the man a dirty look before pulling an angry Rey away, and all Rey could do for goodbye was offer him a small wave before she got dragged into the bathroom.

“What the hell, Rey?” Rose asked as soon as she shut the door behind them.

“Did you _see_ him?” Rey questioned, furious at her friend for interrupting.

“Did you? He was super creepy, Rey!”

“No he was _hot_ ,”

“He looked like a murderer!”

“He looked like a god, Rose.”

“He probably just wanted to sleep with you once and then leave! I read that those  kind men come to parties and events just to prey on drunk girls!” Rose was practically fuming, pacing around the small room.

“No, he’s not like that.”

“How could you tell? You were too busy smashing faces!”  
“Rose, why are you so angry about this? It’s my life I can do what I want.” Rey snapped. Rose sighed heavily before taking her friend’s hand in hers.

“I know, I just want the best for you. You’re the literally the best ever and I want you to be treated like it.”

“Aww, thanks. Look, I know you’re just looking out for me but he’s not a creep. I can just tell. He actually saved me from one earlier.” Rey then proceeded to explain the situation that had unfolded earlier and Rose seemed to calm down.

“So, Mr. Creep has a heart after all. And to think I thought I was saving you from a jerk, turns out that box had already been checked for the evening ” Rose said with a smile once Rey was finished. “I still think he’s weird, Rey. But if you’re into him I won't get in your way.”

“Thanks,” Rey said, pulling her friend into a hug.

“Now come on,” Rose unlocked the door and gestured for Rey to follow, “They probably _are_ starting the presentation soon.” Sure enough, as soon as they stepped outside the bathroom, the sound of thunderous applause greeted them as Leia stepped onto the stage.

 

00000000

 

That was Rey?

Kylo could hear his mother’s voice being projected through the walls by a microphone but he didn’t care to listen, or realise that she was probably revealing his character on stage right that minute and he would be expected to get up and say something.

No, all he could think was _Rey, Rey, Rey._

That girl, that wonderful girl was _Rey_.

He had just had the best kiss of his life with _Rey_.

 _Rey_.

The same Rey who sent him messy sketches that made him break things out of frustration.

The same Rey who would send him angry emails after he inked her sketches not to her liking.

The same Rey he had planned to have a word with tonight, actually.

But in that moment, all of those things left Kylo’s mind, and all he could think of was the feeling of her lips on his and her small form pressed up against him.

Taking a steadying breath, Kylo went back inside and joined the crowd gathered around his mother and the projector screen she made him help her set up before the guests arrived.

“And, without further ado, here is the character of the night, Alex!” Leia pressed a button on the computer in front of her and Alex got projected onto the screen, red curls, flannel, and all. The crowd cheered and Leia waited until they calmed before continuing, a big smile across her face. “Now, please give a warm welcome to the creators of Alex, Kylo Ren and Rey Jakku!”

Kylo made his way up to his mother and looked at Rey who had done the same. She was glaring daggers at him, and Kylo felt like shit. Did she not like what he had done with the character? Did he do something else wrong? He shot her a questioning look and she simply turned her head away, crossing her arms. Thankfully, his mother had seen the whole exchange and skipped the part on he note card where they were each supposed to talk about how they created the character. She directed the crowd to the dance floor, before turning to Kylo who was scanning the crowd for Rey who had just disappeared again.

“Go find her and ask what’s wrong,” Leia told him. “Maybe ask her out while you’re at it,” She winked.

Kylo nodded, starting to walk off before he caught the last bit. “Excuse me?”

“Oh please, I’ve seen how you’ve been watching her all night. Go get her,” Kylo was already off, ignoring Leia’s mumbling about grandchildren behind him.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so grateful for all of your comments and kudos! It really means a lot to me as a first time writer! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter just as much as the last one, it's a bit longer but I think I'll try and make them all this length from now on. Love you all! <3 <3
> 
> Special thanks to @Rileybabe for the moodboard!
> 
> Follow me on tumblr?  
> @kylosspaceprincess


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey lets Kylo have it about him ruining her character, and then they share some things about their past with each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! I went on vacay for a little bit and since I've been back its's been hard to write. But, today I was struck with inspiration and wrote and edited almost this entire chapter. Whoo! Enjoy!

 

00000000

 

As soon as Leia projected Alex on the screen, Rey could only stare in disbelief. She stormed outside to the backyard of the house, practically fuming.

 _That_ was Kylo?

Kylo Ren.

The same Kylo that had never done her sketches justice.

The same Kylo who she always wanted to murder for his witty responses to her angry emails.

The same Kylo that she had just had the best kiss _ever_ with.

And, to top it all of,

The same Kylo that _ruined_ Alex!

Rey was pretty sure there was smoke coming out of her ears. She was _furious_.

She turned to go back inside, a plan already forming in her head for what she was going to say to him. How dare he seduce her with his pretty eyes and _very_ nice lips just to ruin her character! Running through her plan in her head, Rey opened the door and ran smack into something very hard.

She looked up to meet the eye of Kylo himself, who was muttering an apology for running into her.

_Perfect, we can just do this now._

_Okay Rey, say what you were going to say._

Before she could start ranting to him, Kylo started talking instead.

“I, I,” He swallowed thickly, causing his adam’s apple to bob. Rey wanted nothing more than to lick a stripe right over-

_Stop it, Rey. Say what you were going to say._

“I don’t want to hear it. Whatever it was you were going to say, I don’t care,” He looked as if she struck him right in the face with her words. “You ruined my character!” Confusion spread its way across his face, and guilt started to seep its way into Rey.

_Keep talking!  Who cares if he’s upset? He should be, HE RUINED YOUR CHARACTER!_

Drawing confidence from the voice in her head, Rey continued. “What was she _wearing_?”

Kylo, gaining some confidence of his own replied, “A flannel jacket.”

“Why on earth would she be wearing a flannel jacket?” Rey questioned.

“Because that’s the pattern _you_ drew on it! But apparently you couldn’t be bothered to draw the damn pattern across the whole thing, so I had to.”

“I didn’t draw any pattern on her jacket!” And then, Rey remembered the small areas she crosshatched. “That was crosshatching, you idiot!”

“How the hell was I supposed to know that? I have a hard enough time deciphering which lines you actually want there normally! How would I know that wasn’t a pattern you just didn’t fill in all the way?” He was talking considerably louder now, not quite shouting but it was enough that Rey was worried people inside would hear.

“It was supposed to be a raincoat! With boots to match!” He had no comeback to that one.

_Good. Now, move on to the next complaint!_

“And what about her skin? And her hair?” She asked.

“What about it?”

“She was supposed to have black curly hair, not the orange mess you put there!”

 

00000000

 

This was not how this was supposed to go. He was going to find her and find out what was wrong. He did not expect her to start yelling at him. But here they were.

“Once again, how the fuck was I supposed to know that?” His blood was practically boiling. “Maybe next time you should write me a note on the side or something if you care so much about what fucking color things are!” He shouted, slamming himself down onto a lawn chair.

“That’s,” Rey paused, “Actually a decent idea.” She took a deep breath, sitting on the chair next to his. Kylo began trying to calm down, breathing heavily and fidgeting with his hands.

“Look,” Rey said gently. “I’m sorry. For storming out like that. You really didn’t have any way to tell what I was imagining color-wise. I probably ruined the whole presentation Leia made-”

“It’s okay.” He interrupted her. “I’m sorry too. For getting so mad, I mean. I, um, get angry sometimes.” He buried his face in his hands.

_Nice job, Kylo. She probably thinks you’re a psycho now._

_“I, um, get angry sometimes”? Wow. Way to impress the best girl you’ve ever seen._

“You must think I’m an asshole. I know I would.” He sighed into his hands, rubbing his face. “I mean, here I am, throwing a tantrum in my mother’s backyard like a teenager and-”

“Wait,” Rey stopped him. “Leia Organa is your _mother_?”

Kylo looked up, a smiling Rey meeting his gaze.

“ _Leia Organa_ is your mother?” She asked again. He nodded in confirmation and Rey burst into laughter. She looked stunning while laughing, Kylo realised. Her entire face lit up and her smile was so contagious he felt the corners of his own mouth perk up.

“What about it?”

“Well, it’s just,” She paused trying to regain her composure so she could speak properly. “She just so little, and you’re just so _big_!” She burst into laughter again, and it was by far the best sound Kylo had ever heard.

“That’s your issue with it?” As he said it, a small chuckle escaped his lips.

“It’s just funny!” Rey said, her hysterics quickly dying down. “I’m not sure why, but it is.”

 

00000000

 

That small little laugh that left his lips was not nearly enough, Rey decided. She was determined to hear him laugh. A real, full laugh.

She genuinely had no idea what caused her to find that so funny just then, it probably could be blamed on those martinis Rose continued ordering for them all night. Rey became an emotional rollercoaster when she was drinking. She was glad for her laughter though, because it brought a weird but nice end to their argument. She stood up and sat next to him.

“Hey,” Rey said, reaching out and placing a hand on his shoulder. “It really is okay that you got mad. I shouldn’t have started the argument anyway.”

He turned to make eye contact with her. “No, it’s not okay. I’ve been working on my anger all my life. My childhood was... shitty. I made a lot of bad choices and I’m paying for that emotionally now. That’s how I got into art, actually. I started doing calligraphy, believe it or not, and it helped me through some stuff.” His voice was wavering as he said it, and Rey’s heart broke at the sound.

“It’s okay.” She said as comfortingly as she could. “I had a shitty childhood too. I, um,” She took an unsteady breath. “I grew up in the foster system. My most recent foster parent was… abusive. I-” She tried to steady herself again, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. “I have little scars all over from him.”

“Did he ever-” His face grew sad, concerned.

“No. But sometimes, I was pretty sure he did the older girls. I would, um, hear it. It was terrifying.” Tears were in fact rolling down her face now, and Kylo tentatively reached up to cup her face, brushing them away with his thumb. She leaned into the motion, savoring the feeling of being _comforted_. “Drawing was the only thing keeping me sane. I’d sneak art supplies up to my room and draw all night. But, I still lived in constant fear of him, and what he would do to me if he found out about my art.”

“I- I am so sorry, Rey.” She looked up at him then. That was the first time she’d heard him say her name and it knocked the wind out of her. Another round of tears fell from her eyes. She scooted closer to him, savoring in his warmth when a breeze came suddenly, sending shivers up her spine.

 

00000000

 

_Holy shit._

Rey, this beautiful, bright girl, came from such a dark place. Kylo couldn’t believe it. Her story stirred up anger in him, he wanted nothing more than to find that man that caused her such pain and beat him up good. However, in that moment, the sadness that overtook him was more powerful than any anger. Someone had _hurt_ her.

All of the sudden she was much closer to him.

_When did that happen?_

Cautiously, he draped his arm over her. To his relief she wiggled her way even closer to him, pressing her face further into his chest. He let out a sigh of relief and squeezed his arm around her a little, inhaling deeply. The sweet, floral scent of her hit him like a truck.

“Can I, um, touch your hair?” He asked quietly, kicking himself internally for how incredibly stupid that sounded.

She looked up at him with her now puffy eyes. “If you want, sure.” She giggled before resting her head back down. He started carefully stroking her hair until she stopped sniffling. They stayed like that, in the silence, for a while. He thought Rey had fallen asleep after a while, but then she asked lightly, “What made your childhood so shitty?” He then began to explain how he learned very quickly how to make friends with the wrong people when he was a kid, and how that lead him to get involved with some kids that dealt drugs in high school. He told her about how his parents basically disowned him after that, and how he’d been trying to rebuild his relationship with his mother ever since. She listened, and then began to reveal some more details about her own life. They talked for hours, cuddled on that lawn chair. They talked about their pasts, they talked about their interests, they talked about anything they could think of, and the time flew by.

 

00000000

 

As Leia said goodbye to the last of the guests, she paused and remembered that she hadn’t seen neither Ben nor Rey since the unveiling. She thought she heard his voice outside earlier, but she was talking to her best editor, Phasma, and by the time they were done she’d gotten whisked away to talk to someone else. The night continued like that, so now she took the opportunity to look outside.

Sure enough, there was Rey, curled up in Ben’s arms on a lawn chair, both of them fast asleep. Leia grabbed a blanket from inside and gently threw it over them with a wide smile before heading to bed herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys again for the kudos and comments! They really do mean the world to me as a beginner writter! <3 <3  
> follow me on tumblr if you want!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey wakes up in Kylo's arms and then tells Rose all about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!!! I know it's been a hot minute since I updated but I've been kinda busy lately and I just haven't found the time to write. This is kinda an awkward transition chapter so sorry for the short length of it
> 
> Lets get into it!
> 
> <3 <3

 

00000000

Rey blinked once. Twice. She looked around and realised she had no idea where she was.

Trees. Neatly trimmed grass. A fence. The sun was rising over said fence, casting a pinkish yellow light on everything.

She felt incredibly well rested, which was rare for her. She _never_ got a full night’s sleep, courtesy of her childhood. She looked down to find arms wrapped around her, just then noticing how warm and comfortable and _safe_ she felt.

Her hungover mind finally caught up with itself.

_Right. You fell asleep talking to Kylo._

Rey then noticed that someone had thrown a blanket over the two of them while they were out.

_You fell asleep cuddling with Kylo... in your boss’s backyard._

As carefully as she could, Rey untangled herself from the still sleeping Kylo, her heart warming when his arms tightened around her, not wanting to let her go. Once she freed herself from his grasp, Rey checked her phone.

 

| **Rose:** where r u the party’s ending

| **Rose:** rey

| **Rose:**???

| **Rose:**  rey

| **Rose:** if ur having sex with that kylo dude tell me bc i wanna go home

_12 missed calls from Rose_

 

Well shit.

 

| **Rey:** hey sorry i just woke up

 

| **Rose:** u woke me up this better be good

| **Rose:** how was kylo? prob real kinky huh

 

| **Rey:** i did not sleep with him rose!

 

| **Rose:** k then what did u do all night

| **Rose:** i was worried about u

 

| **Rey:** we just talked

 

| **Rose:** u talked all night?

| **Rose:** surrrreeee ;) ;)

 

| **Rey:** WE DIDNT HAVE SEX ROSE

 

| **Rose:** u sure

 

| **Rey:** yes im sure

| **Rey:** can u come pick me up plz

 

| **Rose:** hmm lemme think ;)

 

| **Rey:** rose!

 

| **Rose:** ill be there in ten

 

Kylo started stirring behind her. Rey considered waking him for a moment, but decided to let him sleep. He looked so at peace, she realised. His hair was tousled and his lips were just barely parted. She pulled the blanket up over him the rest of the way and placed a soft kiss to his forehead before going around to the front of the house to wait for Rose.

 

00000000

 

“So you didn’t have sex?” Rose questioned the minute Rey got in her car.

“No, and I can’t tell if you’re disappointed or relieved.”

“Kinda a mix of both,” Rose laughed. “The way you two were eying each other I thought for sure.” She started the car and began to drive back to Rey’s apartment building.

“Thanks for getting me,” Rey said.

“No prob. Wait, so what did you talk about for _six hours_? And was this like a ‘we’re coworkers at a work event talking over drinks’ type conversation or was it like an ‘I really like you and want to get to know you ’ conversation?”

Rey laughed. “I guess the second one. But it was more like ‘let’s cuddle and reveal our deepest secrets to each other’. And we didn’t talk the _whole_ time.” Rose raised her eyebrows suggestively and Rey hit her in the arm. “We fell asleep that’s all. Also, why are you so invested?”

“I’m just happy for you, that’s all! It’s about time you had some social interactions with more than just me. You never leave your house!” Rey scoffed in protest at that. She did leave _sometimes_. Even though they were mostly to see Rose or buy groceries. “Plus,” Rose continued, “I’ve tried to set you up with so many guys and you never like them! It’s nice to see you enjoying yourself.”

“Yeah I guess that’s true. Oh man my head hurts,” Rey said, rubbing at her temples.

“You’re probably a little hungover,” Rose said, “I know I am.”

 

00000000

 

Rey hopped out of the car and waved goodbye as she scaled the stairs up to her floor. It occurred to her that if any of her neighbors were to see her, they’d think she was a little crazy wandering around in a little dress and large heels at the crack of dawn. As soon as she was inside of her apartment, she dropped her keys on the counter and went straight to her desk, opening her laptop and going to her email. She had no way to contact Kylo other than their work emails, she never got his phone number. Deciding an direct message was better than an email, she pulled up the DM window and began to type.

 

| **Rey:** I’m really glad we got to talk last night. I really enjoyed it

 

Since it was still only 7:30 in the morning, she didn’t expect him to respond right away. So, Rey got up and took a shower rather reluctantly, not wanting to wash the lingering scent of him off of her skin. After she changed into a tee shirt and shorts, she checked the message window again. Nothing.

Discouraged, she made herself some tea and sat back down at her desk, refreshing the page to check for messages again. Still nothing. Not wanting to leave her desk, Rey began to doodle on a piece of paper near her, sipping her tea and looking up at her laptop every so often to check for a message.

Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t stop thinking about Kylo. How he was so open and honest with her, how he actually _listened_ to what she had to say. How adorable he looked when he was sleeping so peacefully.

Rey looked down at her drawing.

She was drawing _him._

She didn’t really mean to.

But right there on her page was a handsome face in her art style with long dark hair and a large nose. She tried to add in his eyes, never really being pleased with how she couldn’t capture their intensity.

She got so wrapped up in trying to replicate his face that she almost, _almost_ , missed the notification on her screen that he was typing. The three little dots showed for an impossibly long time. Until, after what seemed like an eternity, his response popped up.

 

| **Kylo:** I really liked talking to you too

| **Kylo:** I really like you

 

Rey wasn’t sure she was breathing at this point. She didn’t know what to do. What should she say? Before she could work herself up too much, his three little dots appeared again.

 

| **Kylo:** Do you want to maybe hang out sometime?

 

Rey was definitely not breathing now.

 

| **Rey:** I’d like that

| **Rey:** I’m free tuesday if that works for you

 

| **Kylo:** Tuesday works. Dinner?

 

| **Rey:** Sure

| **Rey:** There’s a park near my apartment that has food trucks on tuesdays

 

| **Kylo:** Sounds great

| **Kylo:** Six?

 

| **Rey:** Sure!

 

| **Kylo:** Can’t wait

 

And then his dot disappeared and Rey shot up out of her chair, energy pulsing through her.

She had a date.

Well, kinda.

With Kylo.

Kylo!

She paced around her room, her mind going a mile a minute.

What was she going to wear?

Would he like the food they had that day?

Would she like the food they had that day?

What about her hair?

Rey had no idea about any of those things, but she thought of someone who might. Reaching for her phone, she dialed Rose’s number and put it on speaker phone. And then she sat back down and reached for her pencil again, continuing her sketch of Kylo.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! All of your comments and kudos mean the world to me!  
> As always you can follow me on tumblr!  
> Love you all!!!  
> <3 <3


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Kylo go on their date and Kylo spills a little more about his past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YOU GUYS I AM SO INCREDIBLY OVERWHELMED BY ALL OF YOUR COMMENTS AND KUDOS!!!  
> i still cannot believe you all!   
> Let's get into it shall we?

 

00000000

 

Kylo couldn’t believe it. 

He had a date.

When was the last time that happened?

He didn’t know what to do.

Or what to think.

He had a  _ date _ . 

With Rey.

Rey!

Sweet, wonderful Rey that spilled her heart out to him last night. 

Rey, who he told things that he hadn’t told anyone else in a long, long time.

He just felt like he could trust her, and he was pretty sure she felt the same.

After all, she did fall asleep on him. 

And if that wasn’t the best feeling in the whole world.

Kylo slept great that night, and he couldn’t remember the last time he slept the whole night through without waking up sweaty and panting from a nightmare. But with her his whole body felt at peace. Like his very existence was calmed by her presence. 

It was something he could get used to.

 

00000000

 

Rey thought she might explode. It was Tuesday night, and she was an overwhelming mix of nervous and excited. Her hands were shaking as she applied her mascara. She had no idea what he liked in terms of makeup, so she opted for some pinkish eyeshadow and mascara, trying to keep it neutral.

Looking in the mirror, Rey examined her appearance one last time. She was wearing a grey sweater to combat the fall chill and some skinny jeans. She piled her hair atop her head into a bun, held together with a scrunchie. Across her apartment, Rey heard a knock at her door. She hurried over and undid the chain, peeking out the opening it created. 

_ Did he get more attractive? _

Rey was sure he’d gotten more attractive since she last saw him. She unlocked the door and opened it the rest of the way. Kylo was wearing dark jeans and a white tee with a leather jacket over the top.

_ He’s wearing a leather jacket. He looks like a badass. Shit. _

“Hey,” Kylo said, looking her up and down while she did the same to him.

“Hi,” Rey said nervously, tucking a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. “You can come in if you want, I have to put on my shoes and then I’m ready.” She stepped aside to let him in, closing the door behind him. 

“Nice place,” Kylo said, turning around in a full circle, taking it all in as Rey slipped on her converse.

“Thanks,” She began tying up her left shoe. “It’s kinda a mess but I like it that way.” It was true. Her whole apartment was a mess of colors and patterns. There was clutter  _ everywhere _ , but she liked it. 

_ Gives it character _ , she once told Rose when her friend had called her a “little bit of a hoarder”. 

“I think it’s perfect.” He said. Rey blushed, finishing with her shoes. She grabbed her keys and phone off of the counter, shoving both in her pockets with some difficulty.

“Stupid girl jeans with miniscule pockets.” She muttered as she struggled to push her phone in her back pocket enough that it wouldn’t fall when she walked. Giving her phone one last shove, Rey looked up at Kylo, finding amusement in his eyes.

“Ready to go?” He asked, trying to contain his smile.

Rey nodded, desperately trying to hide her embarrassment.  The two of them descended the stairs out of her building, chilly air greeting them once they stepped outside.

 

00000000

 

Kylo wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but Rey in a very large sweater and  _ very _ tight jeans was not it. 

And her apartment…

It was the complete opposite of his own home. Bright colors and designs and shapes that seemed so mismatched yet they somehow worked together to create a warm, homey feeling. He wondered if she’d like his house, assuming she’d see it. And he really, really hoped she would. He wanted to show her his house.

His favorite restaurant.

That little bookstore that served the coffee he liked down the street. 

Kylo had no idea why, but he wanted to share his  _ life _ with Rey. He wanted to make her smile.

He shook his head. He was getting ahead of himself. After all, they were only on their first date.

They made small talk as they walked around the block to the park Rey had mentioned, food trucks lining the street that ran right by it. Rey squealed with excitement and dragged Kylo by the hand towards one of the trucks. It had a giant pizza spray painted across the side, and the scent of food became overwhelming as they approached. 

“This truck is my favorite! It comes every week,” She released his hand to point at the menu. “I usually get that one, with all the meats on it.” She gestured to a pizza on the sign with pepperoni, sausage, some other type of sausage, and bacon. 

_ Good lord that sounds filling _ . 

“I’ve never had this so I’ll trust your opinion,” Kylo smiled. “Wanna split one?”

They got their pizza and sat down at a picnic table in the center of the park. 

“You were right,” Kylo said after he took a bite. “This  _ is _ good.”

“You’ll learn that I am most often right.” Rey said with a mouthful of pizza. Kylo laughed. “So, Kylo, why does your mom call you Ben?” She asked, reaching for her second piece of pizza. 

“That was my name,” He said. “Before-” Kylo looked away.

“Hey,” Rey said softly, reaching across the table to lay a hand on his arm. “If you don’t want to talk about it, it’s okay.”

Kylo swallowed. “Thanks. I, um, really should tell you though. I’ve told you everything else.” 

Rey resummed eating her pizza. “So, when I was part of that group of kids in highschool, we called ourselves the First Order. I have no idea where that name came from but we liked it for some reason. In the um, height I guess you’d call it, of our drug dealing endeavors I changed my name to Kylo for, I don’t know, I think I thought if I used a different name it would be harder for me to get in trouble.” He stopped, reading her face. Rey was staring right at him, her eyes soft. “I was wrong about that part. The school found out what we were doing, the police found out what we were doing, and worst of all, my mother found out what we were doing.”

Rey smiled a little at that. “Yeah, she seemed like she could be a little  _ ferocious _ under the right circumstances.”

“She can, and those are the exact right circumstances.” Kylo chuckled, but his smile quickly fell. “Anyway, We got in so much trouble and I had to go to so much counseling. I lost all of my friends, my grades dropped. It was just a shitty time for me. I guess I just felt  _ changed _ after the whole thing. I’d gotten so used to going by Kylo, and I turned into such a terrible person that after it was all over I didn’t really want to go back to being Ben Solo. I didn’t know who that was, I just knew it wasn’t me anymore. And I think it still isn’t.”

Rey nodded slowly, as if she was processing all of what she just heard. She reached for her third slice of pizza and asked, “Do you want me to call you Ben?”

Kylo was taken aback slightly by her forwardness. He decided to be a little forward himself. “You can call me whatever you’d like,  _ sweetheart _ .”

 

00000000

 

Sweetheart? Well that was new. 

And it was infuriating what it did to her. Rey tried to hide the blush she felt creep up her cheeks at the nickname by taking another bite. 

Kylo’s eyes lit up like a kid on christmas morning at his new discovery. “Oh, does someone like having a pet name?”

Rey averted her eyes to the now empty pizza box, hoping to stuff some more food in her mouth to avoid her embarrassment. She really  _ did  _ like when he called her that. But he couldn’t know that. If Kylo was going to be a tease then so was she. 

“You gonna eat that?” She asked, pointing at the piece of pizza in front of him that he’d only taken a couple of bites of. He shook his head, smiling wide. 

“You’re cute when you get flustered like that,” Kylo said, still grinning at her. 

_ Tease _ .

She loved his smile, how it lit up his usually serious features and made him look so much younger, happier maybe.

_ Maybe that’s what Ben Solo looked like. _

“You sure do like to eat,” Kylo observed. 

“Comes from a childhood without much to eat.” His face fell.

“Oh shit, that’s right. Sorry. Shit. You probably think I’m an idiot.”

“No, it’s okay.” She assured him. “Really. All the more reason to enjoy myself. When you come from somewhere bad it makes you all the more grateful for where you’re at now. That’s what I think, anyway.” Rey finished her piece, standing up from the bench. “Now come on, they happen to also have my second favorite food truck tonight.”

“And which one is that?”

“Ice cream.” Rey said, grabbing Kylo by the hand to lead him toward the truck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING!!!  
> <3 <3  
> Follow me on tumblr?


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Kylo have some desert ;) and then they go back to Rey's place where Kylo finds something unexpected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YOU GUYS I ALMOST STARTED CRYING WHEN I READ THE COMMENTS YOU ARE SO LOVELY EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU   
> thank you so much for all of the support!!  
> Let's get into it, shall we?  
> <3 <3

00000000

 

Rey wasn’t entirely sure why, but watching him eat his ice cream cone was extremely hot. She couldn’t look away from it, he just mesmerised her. 

It was a little cold out for ice cream and she had been debating their choice in desert. But now she was  _ very _ glad they chose it.

Kylo looked up and caught her eye. Red embarrassment flooded Rey’s face. Noticing this, Kylo took a long, broad lick from his ice cream, maintaining eye contact with her the whole time. Rey’s face heated even more. They had gone back to sitting across from each other at a picnic table after they got their desserts, and Rey was extremely grateful that he couldn’t see how she was now rubbing her thighs together from his ministrations. 

“Stop that,” She said, averting her gaze from his lips. 

“Stop what?” He asked before proceeding to do it again, slow and sensual. 

“ _ That _ ,” 

“You’re going to need to be a little more specific, sweetheart.”

Rey flared her nostrils as more heat flooded her body. He could be such a tease sometimes. But then again, so could she.

_ You wanna play?  _

Rey rose from her bench so that she was leaning across the table, her face inches from his own. “Stop  _ this _ .” She tried to mimic his actions as well as she could with her own ice cream, licking a long stripe around the whole thing while looking up at him with her eyes hooded. 

“Sweetheart, you better stop that or I’m gonna have a problem to take care of.” He stared into her eyes and she stared right back. 

In that moment Rey decided that she really could look at him all day. His dark eyes sucked her in and she couldn’t look away. 

And then, the same thing happened from the unveiling party.

It was as if they were the only two people in the whole park. All she could see were his eyes, everything else faded away. 

The smells, the sounds, everything disappeared. 

She had no idea how long they stared at each other, it was probably mere seconds but it felt like hours. Hours she spent lost in his eyes.

Rey’s phone began to vibrate in her pocket. She was snapped from her trance and her whole body jolted, sending her ice cream cone right into Kylo’s nose. 

His eyes snapped down to his nose, going a little crossed to get a better look. 

Laughter tumbled from Rey’s lips as she took in the sight. He had mint ice cream all over his nose and a little bit  got smeared across his chin. 

Suddenly, Rey’s laughing was interrupted by his own ice cream colliding with her face.

“Kylo!” She gasped. Her cheek was covered in ice cream and it stung from the cold. 

Rey surged forward, pushing her cone into his face once again, this time spreading it all over his lips and chin.

“Hey!” He laughed before his eyes lit up. 

He had an idea.

Suddenly Kylo was smashing his lips against hers, trying to spread some of the ice cream from his face onto hers. 

Rey eagerly opened her mouth to him and their tongues danced together. She could taste her ice cream on his lips. She dropped her cone on the table, not really caring if it made a mess, she need her hands free so she could weave them into his hair. 

Rey had never wanted to touch someone’s hair more than his and she found out that it was with good reason. Her fingers wound their way through his silky curls and he moaned against her mouth when she gave it a little tug. 

_ That’ll be useful.  _

He released her mouth, her hands still in his hair. They both had ice cream  _ everywhere _ and it was getting very sticky. 

And it was all over the table now too. 

Rey look down at the mess they made. Sometime, she had climbed on top of the table and planted her knee right into one of their ice cream cones. It was melting everywhere.

Rey could feel that it was spread all around her face and she looked at Kylo to find his own face a mess of mint colored goop. He smiled at her broadly, and it was the most adorable thing she’d ever seen. 

She  _ almost _ kissed him again. But then the spell broke and she realised they were in public. 

“Kylo,” Rey said, panic and embarrassment started to weave it’s way through her body. “We just made out on top of a table in a public park.” She quickly began to wipe the ice cream off of her face.

“And?” He grinned.

“There are  _ children _ !”

“Do you see any children around, Rey?” He asked, amusement still dancing in his eyes.

Rey looked around. 

She didn’t see anyone around, actually.

Okay maybe she had been exaggerating just a  _ tad _ . 

“Fine. But it’s all over my jeans! And, damn it, you got it on my sweater!”

“I’ll buy you a new one,” He said, still grinning like an idiot. 

“You don’t need to buy me a new sweater.” Rey removed herself from the table and began trying to wipe up the mess on the table with some napkins.

“It’s my fault it got ruined. Please,” Kylo planted his hands over hers, pausing her cleaning. His eyes were dark when she met them, “Let me spoil you.”

It took all of Rey’s will power not to attack him over the table again. 

Why did he have to say  _ that _ ? It turned her on way more than it had any right to.

“Why are you so good at that?” He released her hands and she went back to trying to clean up, this time Kylo grabbing some napkins to sop it up too.

“At what?” He asked, picking up their discarded cones and throwing them in a trash bin next to their table.

“At being,” She paused, choosing her words carefully. “At being a tease.”

Kylo leaned in close to her face, their noses almost touching. “Oh, sweetheart, you have no idea.” He just barely brushed his lips against hers before pulling away again. 

It was so quick of a kiss it was like it never happened.

Rey was determined to get more.

“Then how about we head back so I can find out?” 

He kissed her again, this time slower and with more meaning.

“I’d like that very much.” He whispered against her lips.

 

00000000

 

Kylo didn’t think he was breathing the entire way back to her apartment. 

He was so nervous.

Why? 

He had no idea.

He’d never felt this way about someone before and it rattled him to the bone.

Rey shucked off her shoes as soon as they stepped in. 

“I’m gonna go change out of these sticky clothes. Make yourself at home.” And then she walked off to what Kylo assumed was her bedroom, leaving him standing awkwardly by the front door. He removed his boots and set them next to her sneakers and then looked around.

What should he do? 

He had no idea how long she would be. He decided he could explore a bit while he waited. Her apartment was small enough that the room he was standing in was both the kitchen and the living room.

_ And the office _ . He realised when he noticed the small desk in the corner. 

The desk was covered in clutter just like everything else in her apartment. He walked over to it, curious to see what her art space looked like compared to his own. 

There were papers scattered everywhere with various sketches covering them, some just scribbles while others were very detailed portraits. Jars filled with pencils of varying weights and an impressive pile of beat up sketchbooks sat along the edge.

What caught his eye most was a character she had drawn quite a few times and more recently than the others if the order of the piles meant anything. Kylo didn’t recognise the character from any of the comics they worked on together. He had long dark hair and a big nose and-

“What are you doing?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much! i can't possibly explain how grateful i am for each and every comment and kudos!!!
> 
> <3 <3 <3  
> follow me on tumblr if you want!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey catches Kylo looking at her art... and they have some tea;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yall im so sorry i havent updated in three weeks
> 
> ive been crazy busy with school and i went on vacation and ive been trying so hard to update for you guys bc you and this fic mean the world to me
> 
> this chapter is like twice as long as usual, does that make it better?
> 
> IM SORRY AND I LOVE YOU  
> <3

00000000

 

“Don’t touch that,” Rey said, yanking the paper from his hands. 

The second Kylo had realised that the drawing was of  _ him _ , Rey had burst into the room. 

She had changed into some  _ very _ small athletic shorts and a tee shirt with some logo he didn’t recognise on it.

“Uh, sorry?” Kylo said quickly. His ears went red from embarrassment.

“What were you doing poking around my desk anyway?” She questioned.

Kylo decided he’d rather not answer that.

“Was that sketch... me?” He asked carefully. He didn’t want to aggravate her any further, although she did look pretty adaorbale angry. Her nose got all scrunched up.

Rey looked down at her feet. “Well, um, yeah.”  She paused, “Aw shit, this is probably really weird. I’m sorry. I guess I just couldn’t stop thinking about you and I really, okay this is gonna sound real dumb, but I really like your face, it’s nice, and I wanted to draw it and I know it’s really kinda really creepy and-”

Kylo closed the distance between them in two strides. He took her hands in his, the drawing of him still crumpled within hers. “You’re rambling, Rey.” He said softly as she met his eye. “And those drawings are really,  _ really _ good. Of course, you did have a wonderful model for them, but still.” She hit him on the arm at that. “I never knew you could do such realistic portraits.”

Rey blushed from his compliments. “Thank you. I’m sorry for getting so worked up about it. I’m not used to people seeing my art that isn’t for work. I’m especially not used to people  _ liking  _ it.”

“It’s amazing.” He said, giving her hand a squeeze. She blushed some more.

“Do you...do you want some tea?” Rey offered shyly. 

_ Tea? Why not. _

“Sure,” Kylo smiled. He followed her into the kitchen and watched her open a cabinet above her head. Rey reached up and tried to grab the boxes of tea he saw on the shelf, but it was no use, they were too high up. She huffed in annoyance.

“Do you want some help-  _ oh _ ,” Right as he offered, Rey had climbed atop her counter to retrieve the boxes, rather obviously sticking her ass out into the air more than necessary while doing so.

_ Wicked little thing _ , Kylo beamed. 

She was adorable, really. 

What did he do to earn himself enough luck for her to find  _ him _ attractive?

She clambered down from the counter, boxes in hand.

“Green or black?”

 

00000000

 

Rey almost dropped the tea when she turned around. Kylo was staring at her so intently all of the sudden. She felt her face heat under his gaze. 

“I honestly couldn't give a damn about tea right now.” He answered her question. 

The air between them was thick.

“Then what  _ do _ you care about?” Rey asked, trying her best to sound seductive.

“You. Sticking your ass out for me when you got the tea down,” He stepped closer, their bodies centimeters apart. Kylo leaned down so that his mouth was right by her ear, his hot breath sending shivers down her spine. “You did that on purpose didn’t you? Naughty, naughty.” 

Rey’s knees went weak. He had no right for his words to do such things to her, but they did. 

“So what if I did?” She decided to go out on a limb, because why not? He seemed to be into her enough that she wouldn’t scare him away. 

_ Hopefully. _

And she had a suspicion he’d enjoy it. “What are you going to do about it,  _ Daddy _ ?”

Rey could feel him shudder against her just then. He practically attacked her mouth with his own, running his hands all over her hips, her back, her waist. “How’d you know?” He asked, kissing up and down her neck.

“Just a guess. I figured with the sweetheart stuff and the wanting to buy me things.” Kylo removed his mouth from her skin and stepped back so he could face her properly.

“Do you… are you good with that? I don’t want to scare you off,” He said carefully.

“You don’t want to scare  _ me  _ off? I thought I’d scare  _ you _ off. I am way more than okay with it, Kylo.”

His eyes grew dark with lust. “Mmm good. Because I have a plethora of nicknames that are better than sweetheart.” 

“Like what?” Rey asked, her fingers dancing on his shoulder.

“Let’s see.” Kylo said as he lifted her up by the ass. Rey let out a squeak before her legs wrapped around his back instinctually. She could feel the hard muscle in his back, and she let her hands roam over his shoulders and chest to feel it there. He began peppering kisses all along her neck again as he set her down on the counter behind them.. “Kitten, Pet...” He listed as Rey began to grind her hips against his now obvious erection. “...Princess, babygirl-” Rey ground down on him harder. 

She had no idea why, but she liked that. A lot.

“That one,” She breathed. 

Kylo smiled against her skin. “Alright,  _ babygirl _ .”

Rey smashed her lips against his. He picked her up again and carried her to the couch, sitting down so that she was straddling him. She continued to rock her hips against his, eliciting soft moans from them both. 

Kylo just kissed her and kissed her and  _ kissed her _ until she was breathless. 

Rey didn’t think she could ever tire of kissing him. His plump lips enveloped her own and their tongues danced together. His big hands rested on her hips and assisted her with her grinding, helping her shift her angle until the motion hit her right where she needed it.

Kylo began to nibble at her lower lip and Rey sagged against him, weaving her hands in his hair. She gave it a little tug just like earlier and he groaned against her mouth, his hips jerking against hers.

Rey smirked against his lips before pulling away to catch her breath. She was a panting mess, but so was he. 

His hair was a mess, courtesy of her hands. 

Kylo smiled at her, that crooked, adorable, smile.

_ Why is he so adorable? _

Rey surged forward, peppering kisses all over his face. She brought her hand up and began to tuck his hair behind his ears. He quickly batted her hand away.

“What?” Rey asked.

“I don’t like my ears.” Kylo huffed, avoiding her gaze. He had turned a brilliant shade of red. 

“Well, why not?” She went to tuck his hair away again, this time meeting no resistance from him.

“They stick out too much. And they’re too big.” Rey had to agree, they did kind of stick out. But it was so unbelievably cute. They matched his smile. Quirky, sure, but adorable nonetheless. “Why do you think I keep my hair long?” He asked.

“I like them.” Rey said, pressing a kiss to his lips. Kylo’s face flushed even more. 

“You would be the first.” She kissed him again before kissing a line from his mouth to his ear, pausing to nibble at it. Her hands found his hair again. She just couldn’t stop touching it.

Deciding his ears go their fair share of attention for now, Rey captured his mouth with her own again. Kylo’s tongue invaded her mouth and Rey moaned, pressing herself as close to him as possible. His body was so solid beneath her, and she couldn’t get enough of being pressed up against him. 

Kylo slid his hands down to grip her thighs, his hands covering them entirely. Rey nibbled at his bottom lip and began to grind on the growing tent in his pants again.

 

00000000

 

Kylo just couldn’t stop kissing her. 

It was like an out of body experience, touching her. 

He couldn’t get enough.

Neither could she, clearly. 

Her hands were in his hair, making little scrunching motions and scratching his scalp. 

Her torso was flush with his as she ground down on him.

The feeling of that alone almost made him cum in his pants.

He kissed and licked and nipped his way down her neck before pulling aside her t-shirt to suck dark circles all along her collarbone. 

Rey moaned into the air, head thrown back, weaving her fingers tighter into his locks.

“Daddy- Kyl-  _ ah- _ ” She was babbling nonsense, but he didn’t care.

Kylo needed more of her. 

He needed to touch more, taste more.

Removing his muth from her skin, Kylo slid his hands up under her shirt and tenderly ran his fingers over her smooth her stomach and waist. 

The skin on skin contact set fire to his whole body.

He grabbed the hem of her shirt cautiously.

“May I?”

“Oh, hell ye-” Rey was interrupted by Kylo’s phone ringing. 

He glanced down at his pocket where it was vibrating. He decided to ignore it.

Whoever it was couldn’t possibly be more important than who was currently sitting on his lap. 

“Aren’t you going to get that?” Rey questioned, his phone still buzzing.

“Whatever it is, it’s not as important as you,” Kylo said, returning his hands to her hips, pressing soft kisses down her neck.

Rey blushed from his words.

“As nice, and corny, as that was, what if it’s important?”

Kylo sighed. “I guess you’re right.”

Reluctantly, he removed his hands from her and dug his phone out of his pocket.

 

00000000

 

Rey sat further back on his lap, removing herself from him so he could properly get his phone out. Once he did, she was astonished by how small it looked in his hands. 

She wasn’t very happy about their little interruption. She wasn’t usually the type to have sex on the first date, but she was ready to do it right there on the couch. 

Kylo held up his phone and made a disgusted face when he saw who the caller was. 

Rey was about to ask him who it was but before she could he hit the green button and held it up to his ear.

Kylo couldn’t even get out his entire “Hello,” before someone started shouting through the phone. She couldn’t hear who was on the other end very well, but Rey picked up that it was a man who sounded very angry. 

She didn’t really know if she should keep sitting on him or move.

Kylo’s face kept switching back and forth between confused and irritated as the caller yelled at him. 

Rey, deciding to stay on his lap, let her fingers dance across his shoulders.

“Yes. Yes, I’m aware.” Kylo said through gritted teeth. “You have to understand tha-” He got cut off by more yelling from the man.

Kylo ran a hand through his hair. 

“I’ll get it done.” He said, exasperated, before hanging up. 

“What was that about?” Rey asked, pressing a kiss to his lips in an effort to calm him. 

She wasn’t entirely sure why, but she decided just then that she hated seeing him angry.

His features did relax, just a little.

“It was, um,” Kylo’s brows furrowed. “Nothing,” He said quickly.

“Didn’t seem like nothing,” Rey said, confused why he would lie. He’d been so open and honest with her all night but all of the sudden he seemed… distant. Panicked, almost.

“It was nothing,” Kylo said again, more to convince himself than her. 

“Okay,” 

“I, uh, I should really get going now.” He said, running a hand through his hair again. 

Rey’s face fell.

He wanted to leave.

She probably did something that scared him off.

And now he was leaving.

Just like everyone else always did.

“Oh,” Tears stung the corners of her eyes as she clambored off of him. 

Rey could only sit on the couch, her limbs frozen in place as Kylo stood.

_ Was it the Daddy thing? _

_ Because he said he was okay with it. _

_ I thought he was kinda into it. _

Rey watched Kylo shoved his feet into his boots, his movements rushed.

_ So then what the hell happened? _

Finally gaining the courage to move again, Rey walked over to the door, trying to speak with the growing lump in her throat.

“Why are you leaving?” She choked out.

Kylo turned to look at her, his face apologetic.

“I, um, I have work to do,” He lied.

Rey didn’t believe that for a second.

Anger boiled it’s way through her veins as Kylo moved to open the door.

She had a right to know why she was being treated like this.

Her hand halted his on the doorknob. 

“Kylo,” She said, trying to muster some confidence. “What the hell?” Her voice broke, tears once again threatening to push their way out of her eyes.

He met her eye, sadness doting his usually intense stare.

“I-I’m sorry Rey,” He opened the door.

_ What did I do? _

_ I really liked him, damnit, what did I do? _

Rey felt more tears threatening to fall, but she pushed them back.

She needed to be strong.

“I have to go,” She was frozen in place as the words left his mouth. “I, um, Rey?”

She turned to look at him again.

“I’m sorry,” He said again, running his hand through his hair yet again. “I promise there’s a perfectly good explanation for this but right now I, I really have to go.” His voice was shaky and quick. “Message me later..please?” 

“We’ll see about that.” Rey managed to say as he stepped out. 

Her mind was a swirling mix of angry and sad. 

She wanted to cry, but she also wanted to scream at him.

Him leaving was probably best.

She shut the door a little harder than necessary behind him and shuffled to her bedroom, collapsing onto her mattress and, finally, letting her tears fall.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> say hi on tumblr if you want!
> 
> ILYYYYY  
> <3 <3


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Kylo both get some advice on how to deal with their current situation...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I HAVE MISSED YOU ALL SO MUCH  
> ILY ILY ILY  
> ENJOY

“Rose, I-I,” Rey cried into the phone. “He just, he just  _ left _ ,” She sniffed.

“Rey, I don’t understand.” Rose replied, “Tell me what happened again, slower.”

Rey took a shaky breath. “We came back to my apartment, we started making out, and  _ Rose _ , it was so  _ good. _ ” Her voice broke.  _ “ _ I didn’t know people could be that good at kissing. I mean his lips, and his tongue-”

“Rey, I love you, but I don’t need every detail,” Rose said.

“Yes, right, sorry! Anyways, he gets this phone call and he wasn’t going to answer it which was like super sweet, like he said, oh wait, what did he say?” She paused. “Oh, he was like, ‘whoever it is can’t be as important as you’ and I was like that’s super sweet but what if someone is dying? And then he was like-”

“Rey,” Rose interrupted again, “We’re getting to the point, remember?”

“Sorry! So he gets this weird phone call from some shouty man and then he left.”

“That’s the part I don’t get.”

“Me neither!”

“Did he say anything?”

“No! He just tensed up and then was like ‘I have to go’.”

“Hmm.” Rose paused, thinking. “Did he say why?”

“Well I asked him and he said he had work to do or something. Lemme tell you I have never known someone was lying to me as much as I did right then.” Rey rose from her bed and padded to her kitchen, sandwiching the phone between her ear and her shoulder and she walked. “That’s the problem though,” 

“What is?” Rose asked as Rey grabbed the discarded box of tea bags from the night before off the counter and took one out. 

“I can read him so well. I’ve never met someone that I was so drawn to. It’s like I’ve known him forever, the way we talk.” She continued making her tea, the simple, memorized task allowing her brain to mull over the night before.

“I don’t know what to tell you, Rey. You know I’m bad at relationships.”

“Oh, you are not,” 

“Uh, yeah I am. I’ve only ever dated one person and-”

“So? At least Finn was nice. He never ditched you randomly because some shouty man caled him.”

“No, but he turned out to be gay so how good at this can I be?” Rose laughed through the phone.

Rey smiled. “I guess that’s true. Even so, what do you think I should do?”

“Give it a few days. If he’s a good guy he’ll realise he made a mistake and try to fix it. If not, he never deserved your time anyway.”

“Thanks, Rose.”

“Anytime, best friend, anytime.”

 

00000000

 

Kylo downed the remainder of his coffee that had gone cold. He looked down at the mess of papers on his desk and sighed. 

He felt  _ terrible. _

Not because he had stayed up all night inking in pictures.

No, the fatigue that weighed down his whole body and the ache in his fingers wasn’t what was bothering him.

It was the fact that he left Rey’s apartment in such a frenzy last night. He’d never felt so guilty in his life. All to finish this stupid project. 

He gathered the papers into a neat stack, criticizing his own linework as he did so.

What did he expect? He did do most of them at three in the morning. 

And they looked a lot better then than they did in the light of day.

As he was reaching for a folder to put them into, his phone began to ring on the desk. 

Kylo glanced over to see who it was, and rolled his eyes when he saw it was his mother. She was the last person he wanted to talk to right now. 

Why would she even be calling him right now, anyway?

_ Right _ . It was the first wednesday of the month. 

In other words, the dreaded day on Kylo’s calendar every month when his mother would call to “chat”.

He knew better than to not answer. Last time he ignored her calls on their designated “chat” day she drove to his house and they had their conversation in person. 

Over the phone was much better.

Begrudgingly, Kylo accepted the call. 

“Hi, Mom,” He sad, rubbing his eyes. He needed a shower and a nap.

“Hello, Ben!” She was awfully cheery today.  _ Great. _

“Good morning mom,” Kylo said unenthusiastically.

“You sound particularly down this morning, hun. Something wrong?”

Well. . . Yes something was wrong.

But he couldn't exactly tell her that he stayed up all night finishing a side project for her rival Snoke, could he? 

 

00000000

 

Snoke, that was his alias, ran First Order publishing and his mother absolutely hated him.

Their companies were long time rivals, both always competing to be the best comic book publisher.

Kylo was taken aback to say the least when Snoke reached out to him, asking him to work for them on a special comic. 

He planned to say no, out of respect for his mother and because he simply didn’t agree with their values. They underpaid their employees, copied other works, and his asshat of a neighbor Hux used to work there. If he was the type of person they hired that told Kylo enough.

So, Kylo was fully prepared to reject Snoke’s offer until Snoke presented him with the rest of the deal.

Kylo would work for the First Order on this comic and Snoke wouldn't reveal some very dangerous details about Kylo’s drug endeavors. 

_ Why on Earth would Snoke know anything about that that he could use against me? Wait, how did he know about that in the first place? _

And then, it all clicked. 

It had been merely a weird coincidence to Kylo that the name of his mother’s rival company had the same name as his drug dealing gang in high school.

Something he never really put too much thought into.

But just then, a thought occurred to him.

A thorough google search later and sure enough, the man who ran the publishing company was in fact the same man who supplied Kylo and his friends with the illegal drugs they sold. 

As it turned out, Snoke knew quite a bit about Kylo that could get him into some serious legal trouble.

So Kylo begrudgingly bought into the blackmail and agreed to do the one project with them, thinking that he could finish it quickly, get Snoke off of his back, and let the past die.

It seemed simple.

Until it completely fucked everything up with Rey.

That was one of Snoke’s poorly treated employees yelling at him unexpectedly on his date with Rey.

In his excitement to go out with her, Kylo had forgotten that he promised the drawings would be sent in that night.

 

00000000

 

So yes, something was definitely wrong but he couldn’t tell his mother about it.

“No, mom. Nothing’s wrong.”

“I know that tone. Something is most definitely more wrong than usual. Come on Ben.”

“It’s nothing,”

“It’s a girl isn't it?” Leia was excited now.

“No. It’s most definitely no-”

“Yes, yes it is! I know you Ben, there’s a girl.”

Kylo sighed. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers.

“Fine. Yes mom, there’s a girl.”

“Oh! I knew it! It’s Rey isn’t it? The one you worked with for the new character? Oh I just knew you two would get along great the moment I saw you talking to her!”

Kylo sighed again. His mother  _ had  _ always been a self proclaimed expert matchmaker. Too bad this time it didn’t work out.

“Yeah, yeah, she’s great,” Kylo said unenthusiastically.

“You don’t sound too convinced, what happened?” Leia pressed. She clearly was not going to let this one go. 

“We-” Kylo paused. He wasn’t planning on explaining what happened to his mother, but he really didn’t have any reason  _ not _ to. He’s just leave out the First Order part and it would be fine.

“We  _ were _ getting along great. That’s the thing. I’ve never met anyone I could talk to like her. The way she listened and actually cared what I was saying. The way she trusted me enough to tell me things to. But I fucked it up.”

“Ah- language please.” Leia said.

Was he twelve years old?

Kylo flared his nostrils. “I  _ messed _ it up. Better?”

“Yes. Now clearly you’re not going to tell me what exactly you did to  _ mess  _ it up, so now it’s about fixing it. Assuming you want to.”

“Yeah mom, I really do. We’ve only been on one date but, there’s something about her. I need to get Rey back.”

Leia was silent for a long time.

“I’ve got it.” She said finally. Kylo released a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “I think to make it up to her, you need to just be honest. Whatever it was that caused you guys to go astray, lay it all out on the table. I was going to suggest a grand gesture type of apology, but I thought some more and I think Rey will appreciate an honest one more. ”

“That’s… actually a good idea.” Kylo said mulling it over. “Thanks, mom.”

“Anytime Ben.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading!
> 
> Follow me on my NSFW reylo/Adam Driver/art tumblr!

**Author's Note:**

> Omg yall, I just posted my first fic! This is so crazy and I am so excited! What do you guys think? There will be smut I promise, they just have to not hate each other first ;)
> 
> Follow me on tumblr?  
> https://kylosspaceprincess.tumblr.com/


End file.
